Bill Walton wants to make something clear, San Diego, and don’t try to convince him otherwise because the man won’t listen.

He failed you.

We’re not talking about the short-term, either — not some letdown in a transitory moment. No, according to Walton — and the conviction in his voice is at full-throttle on this one — he is to blame for the extinction of professional hoops in this city. Yes, the greatest basketball player to ever come out of San Diego believes he’s the one who sent the Clippers packing.

“It’s a stain and stigma on my soul that can never be removed,” said Walton by phone. “If it wasn’t for my failures, San Diego would have a vibrant, thriving NBA franchise playing in a new, sparkling waterfront arena. That’s the facts.”

Those are most certainly not the facts, as predicting the fate of a professional sports franchise is impossible. And considering how his shortcomings were due to a betrayal of the body, not a breakdown of the spirit, Walton is being unreasonably hard on himself.

But the Hall of Fame center is not the first to think that, had he played up to expectations during his time with the San Diego Clippers, they wouldn’t have moved to Los Angeles. And it is not beyond the boundaries of realism to believe that, instead of “Lob City,” fans might be fawning over “Dunk Harbor” or “Alley-oop Beach.”

What we know for certain is that the Clippers are facing Memphis in the playoffs after winning their first division title and logging the best record in franchise history. We also know that, whether it’s a behind-the-back toss from Jamal Crawford to Blake Griffin, or a no-look delivery from Chris Paul to DeAndre Jordan, this team churns out highlights like Idaho does spuds.

But while the rest of the country watches the Clippers and wonders “what’s next?” San Diegans have free license to ponder “what if?” There was a season, after all — before years of futility and absurdity all but erased the memory — that the Clippers had San Diego buzzing and the Sports Arena bustling.

There was a time — fleeting as it may have been — when it seemed there was no way that this was going to end badly.

This was going to end badly.

What chance was there for any other outcome? San Diego was America’s Finest City and Earth’s Finest Basketball Repellant.

After four seasons, the Rockets shipped out to Houston in 1971. After three seasons, the ABA assumed control of the Conquistadors, who in 1975 turned into the Sails, who folded hours before their 12th game.

Still, as bizarre as those departures may seem, they paled in comparison to the Clippers’ arrival.

Celtics owner Irv Levin had wanted to move a team out west, but knew the NBA wouldn’t allow him to relocate the then 13-time champs. So he swapped franchises with Buffalo Braves owner John Y. Brown, transported the Braves to San Diego, and renamed them the Clippers.